


The Bodyguard

by orphan_account



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - The Bodyguard (1992) Fusion, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-11-01 23:01:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17876405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Rose is an aspiring popstar. John Smith receives the mission to protect her. Little did he know this would be much more than a job.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the movie The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. It is all completely unbeta'd so please excuse any grammar and/or spelling mistakes.

Pete Tyler woke up feeling exhausted the day he was scheduled to interview his tenth potential bodyguard candidate in as many days. It was only the second week of January, 2005, and yet it felt like the entire year had gone by, leaving behind the characteristic end-of-year fatigue.

“How’re you feeling, love?” Jackie asked, sitting with him for breakfast, but the only answer she got was her husband’s shrug. “Well, Donna’ll be over with this new guy in about an hour. Just so you know. She said she would explain to him about what happened.”

Pete nodded mechanically and rested his head at his hands, thinking about what happened. He suppressed a snort and rolled his eyes. He and Jackie hadn’t even really talked about what had been going on lately, about the reason they were even interviewing potential bodyguards in the first place.

A stalker.

Their daughter had a bloody stalker, who called himself The Master. Honestly, what kind of pervert would take that name? Whoever that person was, they were obsessed enough to break into the Tyler’s mansion when the family (thank God) wasn’t home and send the pictures they had taken inside to Rose in the fanmail along with a creepy note. Two letters had followed, but thankfully Rose had not seen it. Yet.

The police hadn’t been able to help much. There had been no fingerprints on anything, for starters, not even a partial, and the postmarks were local, but from three different post offices. They were still working on it.

Pete’s grip tightened on his cup as the dark thoughts he tried so hard to keep at bay came flooding in. _This is all my fault…_ Pete squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, willing himself to stop. He knew blaming himself about it didn’t help anything.

“Stop it,” his wife said giving him a now-familiar look of understanding. “Sweety, it’s not your fault that Rose’s so talented she got famous almost instantaniously, nor that there’s a creep we have to deal with. Besides, now that we’re hiring someone it will be fine!”

“I’ll only rest when I make sure that we've hired a good bodyguard,” he said. “I can’t stop thinking about it, Jacks. Nevermind the fact that Rose, our only daughter, is in danger, but the stalker came into our house. He is a threat to you and Tony too.” He pushed his chair back with an audible scrape and stood up to put his empty cup in the sink.

_If I had not let her participate in that singing competition all those months ago we’d still be at the Powell Estate and none of this would be happening._

In a way, it was true. The Tyler’s life had changed forever after Sarah Jane Smith’s documentary about the council estates had captured the tiny competition that was happening at the community center and Rose’s sweet voice caught everyone’s attention ten months ago. After that, Rose was invited to shoot a mobile company commercial and from there the opportunities kept coming. Her debut as a pop singer at the age of 19 had been a hit and now she’d been cast for her first role in a movie, as a supporting actress.

Pete couldn’t have been more proud of his daughter’s success, but every once in awhile there would be a few fans who overstepped a little – he couldn’t even think about the few awkward attempts to turn a friendly kiss on the cheek into one on the mouth without flinching. Any father would’ve been preoccupied, but overall Pete considered it a minor inconvenience, like part of the trade-off for the success his daughter was having while she did something she loved.

This, though. This was extreme in a way that he hadn’t been prepared for. At some level, he’d always known his family’s life would change with one of them living as a public figure, but he truly hadn’t expected that their quality of life would be worse than before. This was terrifying, he kept thinking, as he glanced at Jackie while she held his hands.

  
*

“ _You’re_ a bodyguard?” Pete heard his wife ask an hour and a half later in a tone of disdainful disbelief, her eyebrows knitting. The man in front of them was a tall, lanky fellow, with wild hair and peculiar clothes. He looked absolutely nothing like the robust, potato-faced giants they had met over the past few days.

The man let out a small, surprised laugh, tugging a little at his hair and casting a quick glance at Donna before deciding to respond. “I am,” he said, reaching out to shake Pete and Jackie’s hands and nodding in confirmation. “I am a bodyguard. I’m John Smith. Nice to meet you.”

“Shouldn’t you be bigger?” Jackie blurted.

John let out an aborted bark of a laugh, apparently unbothered by Jackie’s rudeness. Amusement glinted in his brown eyes.

“Jacks,” Pete hissed under his breath. “Give him a chance... Donna says he’s one of the best in this business...”

Jackie glared at him, rolling her eyes. “It’s a legitimate concern! Aren’t bodyguards supposed to be able to carry people through a bloody crowd? How is he going to protect Rose?”

Pete had opened his mouth to protest - maybe not about the notion, but at least Jackie’s choice of words - when John Smith spoke up again. “It’s definitely a fair concern,” he conceded. “Especially if you want to be sure you’ll be safe in crowded areas, but I assure you I’m stronger than I look and have a few tricks up my sleeve, including a qualified team. However, there are other points in security in which we’ll have to focus on. Right now my main concern is logistics”.

“He’s got really good points about the security at the house Mrs. Tyler.” Donna, Rose’s personal secretary, and the one who contacted the man, said. “Even if he is a skinny streak of nothing,” she added with a low voice, but one that could still be heard.

“You’ve got some real problems here”, he said, walking around the room. “One, it was embarrassingly easy to pass through the front gate. Two, only one person asked if I had an appointment. Four. No, wait a minute, three. She didn’t even check the fake name I gave. Unless she was really sure my name is Glenn Miller, but that’s just silly.” He chuckled a little and then assumed a more serious tone. “But what got me really worried is that the child... Tony, right?” after a terse nod from Pete, he continued, “…was playing alone in the front yard near the gate, where anyone in the street could’ve seen him and, worse of all, you wouldn’t have even known if he was kidnnaped because there aren’t cameras there.”

Jackie paled and Pete had to sit, shocked looks on their faces. When Pete had enough strenght to speak, he simply asked, “When can you start?”


	2. Chapter 2

The first time John Smith saw Rose Tyler, five months ago, she looked overwhelmed, pressed against a wall trying to cope with flashes and fans asking for her autograph. Instinct had taken over as he deftly approached, grabed her hand and said to her one word, “Run!”

He dragged her throught the street and entered a commercial building, entering a lift and seeing the crowd of fans being blocked by security just as the doors closed. When he turned to look at her, her posture was guarded.

“Who are you, then? What do you want?” she asked.

“You looked like you needed a hand, just wanted to help. No need to worry about me. No, you wait a while and then go home, ask Lynda to show you the back door. The mass will have dissipated after 30 minutes, give or take.” As the lift doors opened, he left, then turned around. “I’m John, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Rose” she said.

“Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life.”

He regretted having to leave her, but was already late for an important meeting and something about her stance had left him confidant that she could manage on her own. Moreover, he did not want her to think he was a threat or that he was trying to take advantage.

After that he had looked her up on the Internet, listened to one of her songs and immediatly became a fan himself. She was quite lovely. He was embarrassed by how much that brief encounter had moved him, as he kept remembering hazel eyes and full lips at random moments and became distracted when he listened to her sweet voice on the radio.

This platonic (or rather, non-existent) relashionship ended when a woman called Donna Noble contacted him offering a job as a bodyguard.

“I’m a security specialist, but I don’t usually work as a bodyguard. Sometimes I cover events that require a more careful look, though” he explained to her over the phone.

“Look, it’s a delicate situation, my employer is being stalked and we didn’t find anyone who convinced us that they could protect her and her family. I’ve been told that you’re one of the best in this business and we’re willing to offer a good compensation”. As he began to speak, she rased her voice and added, in a no-nonsense tone, “at least ‘till things have calmed for a bit or until we have found someone else we can trust to do a decent enough job.”

“As I was trying to explain, we can go over the details now of what kind of services you require and then I would turn the job over to someone in my team. I guarantee that you’ll like having them around better then me. I’m no good in a permanent position. My feet go to sleep.” He said, laughting at his own joke.

“But we _need_ the best. It’s for Rose Tyler, the popstar. A very frightened lady with an 4-year-old brother whose parents are going out of their mind with worry. Please, at least come to their house and give us your impression.”

And that was that. Curiosity won and he agreed to look things over. When Donna told him the full story and he had finished testing a few basic security protocols, he accepted the job, although not permanently. And yet, when he arrived he was prepared to decline it and send Jack to be the bodyguard.

The mansion didn’t feel like a celebrity’s house, since the people he met looked friendly and happy. He liked Rose’s employees like Donna, the secretary, Mickey, the driver, and Martha, the choreographer, with whom he exchanged a few words, but they had no clue whatsoever about security.

Rose’s parents were obviously more distraught. After they’ve agreed with his proposals to increase security around the house, they weren’t very happy with his compromise – that he would only fill the bodyguard position temporarily -, but he assured them the person who would step in was as good as himself, or even better, for the job. It would take at least a couple of months to finish the changes around the mansion, and in the meanwhile he would act as Rose’s personal bodyguard as well, so he could make sure everyone was following his methodical security measures.

Now, as he searched for the room where he was told Rose was training, he could feel his heart beating faster and his hands sweating, anticipation making him walk faster. _I’m acting like a teenager with a crush for the popstar_. When he found the studio, all thoughts came to a screeching halt, as he saw Rose lost to the rhythm of the song.

John watched in awe as she twirled, singing along while she performed her dance beautifully. The song reached its climax and, as Rose was beginning to start her next steps, she noticed John standing in the doorway. Startled, she stumbled slightly, and exclaimed, “It’s you!”

“Hello!” he answered with a smile.

“Wait, let me turn down the music.” She said, doing so. “It’s John, right?”

“Right. Yes, sorry about that, didn’t want to intrude.” He said, surprised that she remembered him. “John Smith, here to be your new bodyguard, ma’am.”

“You don't look like a bodyguard.” She blurted while shaking the hand he extended, and quickly amended, “oops, no offense.”

“None taken. I get that a lot, your mom said the same thing earlier. But what people don’t get is that this is my disguise.” He said with a wink and a click of his tongue. _Stop flirting._

“Well, it’s very nice to see you again. Thank you for saving me that day, really.” He got distracted by her tongue-touched smile and by how much it suited her, which is why the rest of her sentence took him by surprise. “But look, I don’t need a bodyguard. How did you even get here?”

“There you are!” Donna’s voice came from the door. “You really have some tricks up your sleeve, don’t you mate, with this disappearing act? You sure are quick.”

“Donna, what’s this about a bodyguard?” Rose asked.

“Well I was going to tell you, but your parents said I shouldn’t since you’d say you didn’t need it. Now that they've hired him, you can't refuse without talking to your mom first.”

“Wait.” John interrupted, his voice assuming a serious tone. “I can only work as long as we understand each other. Without Ms. Tyler’s cooperation I can’t keep her safe. If she doesn’t know why we’re doing changes around her house and her routine, I won’t be able to do anything.”

Rose gave him an alarmed look “I get that when I go out there could be some trouble, but changes around the house? Is that really necessary? I feel safe when I’m home. And Tony, I don’t want the poor baby to think he’s in some kind of prison…”

“Ms. Tyler” He interrupted her. “You don’t honestly think you’re safe like this, do you? Your house is wide open! Anyone could come in and do whatever damage they wanted. Not to mention how exposed you are out. ‘Trouble’ don’t even get close to what could happen.” He gave an exasperated sigh. “You people have no clue what security is or what it takes to achieve it.”

“Are you always this rude?” She asked after a pause, looking at him with a funny look.

“Yes, rude and not ginger. That’s me.”

“Alright.” She giggled in spite of herself. “First of all, call me Rose, none of this ‘Ms. Tyler’ or ‘ma’am’ nonsense.” She gave him a smile and he could only nod. “And second, I think you may have a point, _maybe_ it’s better if we let you do some changes, since you think you’re so impressive.”

“I am impressive!”

 

*

 

“Thanks for doing this, Mr. Smith. Really. Pete was going out of his mind with worry.” Donna said as they stepped outside the studio so that Rose could continue her practice after she and John settled to discuss more later.

“I won't be responsible for her safety if she doesn't know what's going on.” He answered seriously, giving Donna a meaningful look. Then he added, humurously. “You said she was a very frightened lady.”

“Got you here, didn’t it?” She laughed, then sighed. “I’ll talk to her. We didn’t want to freak her out, so we didn’t tell her someone broke in. But her family’s well-being is her top one priority, she will understand.”

“I hope so.” He said, turning to watch studiously the talanted dancer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!  
> TW: minor character illness. Just to be on the safe side.

“What?!”

At her daughter’s indignant shriek, Jackie knew she was the only person in the room who didn’t flinch. She looked around at her husband, Mickey, Martha, Donna and John and noticed that she was right.

“I know this is hard, sweetheart, but keep in mind we were trying to protect you.” Jackie said, soothingly.

“A person breaks in and you guys think the way to protect me is keeping secrets?” Rose paced the room a little and then slumped on the settee. Jackie was so concerned about her daughter that she didn’t correct her posture.

“Clara said it was better that you keep acting as normal as possible. That we should keep the press from snooping around here.” God bless that Clara, she was the best manager Rose could ever have. Besides her obvious great job that had garanteed Rose launched her career, she was sensible and caring, like a teacher who wanted to see her pupil grow.

Rose sighed, “Even Clara? How come she didn’t tell me? I thought she, at least, was on my side.”

“Well you listen here, Rose Marion Tyler, I told them to wait for me to tell you first. This is a family matter and your family is here in this room.”

“We were just looking out for you, babe. Don’t get pissed at us,” Mickey added, to wich Jackie was glad. She smiled when Martha approached him and held his hand. They were a good couple, those two.

“Are you okay, princess?” Pete, who was silent until then, asked.

“I'm all right. Honestly, don't make a fuss.” Rose replied tiredly.

There was a silence and Jackie noticed that John was acting a little weird. Had been acting weird, flicking through a paperback, flipping through a book that had been left in the room... And then he tried to shuffle a pack of cards and it went flying.

“Are you daft?!” Donna and Jackie said at the same time and Rose giggled, easying the tension a little. He looked embarassed and murmured something about not wanting to intrude in such an intimate moment.

“I want you to explain everything. What we do now, how we can make the house safer, how you work.” Rose said to the man while he picked the cards from the floor.

“Hold on sweetie” Jackie interrupted. “You let John here do his work and go rest. You must be in shock, look at you. Honestly, it's aged you, these news. Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was your daughter.”

“Mum! Don’t be silly. I wanna know everything that’s going on, you hear me? I’m not made of sugar.” John must have decided this was his cue to reassure her.

“Absolutely, Ms. Tyl—Rose. You have my word I’ll run every plan by you. We’ll have to train evasive maneuvers, emergency protocols and even how to communicate better while in the presence of other people, but with time I think we’ll manage to avoid quite a lot of mess.” Jackie didn’t miss the way he looked at her daughter, with some kind of earnest determination, and filed it away for later use.

*

When the talk turned to the planning about the changes that would have to occur around the mansion, Mickey left to check on Tony, per Jackie’s request. He was being taken care of by his baby-sitter, Bill, and the both of them seemed to be having a great time drawing.

After checking that Bill didn’t need any help, Mickey decided to get refreshments for everyone, but in his way to the kitchen he saw something through a window that made him pause. He decided to return quickly to the room where Rose and the others were gathered.

“Hey, boss?” Mickey said, by the door, looking at the bodyguard. “Can I ask you something about the car real quick?”

Something in his tone must have caught John’s attention, since he interrupted the conversation he was having and came to meet the younger man outside the door.

“I reckon I’m getting a little paranoid by all that’s been happening, but there’s a car by the gate and I’m thinking it’s not the first time I saw it. Do you think it’s something to worry about?” Mickey said hurriedly before John could ask anything.

“I think it’s something we should check.” John replied seriously.

Mickey led them down a path that did not lead directly to the gate, so that they would not be sighted immediately. However, when they approached, the person behind the wheel must have noticed, and fled at full-speed down the road.

John ran off toward the car and Mickey called after him. “This way! There’s a shortcut.”

They proceeded along a path on the outskirts of the property. John must have got a glimpse of the car, for he was running ahead when Mickey tripped and landed on his arm. He cried out in pain and tried to get up without forcing the injured arm when he felt someone helping him stand up.

“Sorry, boss. Didn’t want to hold you back.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered, Mickey. The car had no number plate. C’mon, let’s get inside so I can see your arm.”

When they got inside, Mickey in obvious pain, Martha rushed to his side to try to help him. “What happened?!”

“It seems our little stalker wasn’t so distant after all”. Mickey replied before John had the chance, receiving multiple exclamations in return. He didn’t notice he should have phrased it another way.

“Pete, you okay honey?” Jackie asked when she noticed her husband was breathing differently and sweating a lot. Rose ran to his side and helped him sit.

“Does he have a heart condition?” John asked, while Donna said she was calling for an ambulance. Mickey was moving the furniture around for more space.

“No! Dad, try to breathe deeply. Everything’s gonna be fine.” Rose was saying, while John asked Martha if they had aspirin and a blood-pressure cuff and Jackie loosened her husband's clothes.

“Pete, it’s probably a spike in your blood pressure. You’ll get better as your anxiety subsides. Try to relax.” John said in an almost soothing voice. And it seemed to work, Mickey noticed, as the man visibly began to calm down.

When the ambulance arrived, Pete had already collected himself and was tenderly reassuring his wife and daughter that he was fine.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit that I was feeling guilty about the delay so I made an effort to post another chapter soon. Sorry for any spelling mistake!

Rose was having a hard time wrapping her mind around everything that happened on the previous’s day. Her father was discharged shortly from the hospital, having been diagnosed with a temporary high blood pressure due to stress. He was instructed to monitor it and return if he detacted any changes.

Telling everyone she needed to be alone to proccess everything, Rose began pacing around the house, questioning all her decisions in life and thinking about the risk she was putting her family on. Dodging everyone’s presence, she felt like the world was closing in on her. She needed to get out. She had to get out.

Instinct led her to the garage and she grabbed the keys to her car. As soon as the door was lifted high enough she rocketed out of there, slowing down only long enough to get through the gates. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, she accelerated, momentarily disregarding all sense of speed limits.

“You know, if this is an abduction, I’m fairly impressed,” came a voice from the back seat after a few minutes on the road.

With a shout, she braked and pulled over. “What the hell?!” she exclaimed, turning to look into the handsome face of the new bodyguard, a smile playing at his lips.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. I was trying to find a way to get your attention without alarming you so much.” John told her.

“No luck with that.” She blew out a breath and closed her eyes. “Sorry for the kidnapping, I’ll take you back.”

She was about to start the car when he interrupted her. “Or we could go somewhere else. If you want.”

“You don’t mind?” she asked, not really wanting to go back.

His expression softened and he replied, “Not at all. Let me just change positions.” A few minutes later they were driving again, John at the passenger’s seat.

They rode in silence for a while, not quite knowing how to break it as they watched each other from the corner of their eyes.

“So, I hear you’re not really my bodyguard, not for the long run.” Rose said at last.

“Well, I’ll be around for a couple of months at least, to make sure the house is secured and you and everyone are comfortable around the security protocols I’ve planned. And Jack, who’ll assume the position permanently, will begin next month, when he returns from Cardiff. He’s there with his sister, Gwen, helping with her puerperio. He’s so proud to be an uncle, he’ll talk your ears off about the baby.”

“Oh, I see,” was her only reply, her eyes straight ahead, finding slightly odd the disappointment she felt.

He must have misinterpreted her reply, though. “Sorry, guess you’re stuck with me for a while.”

"Yeah, but stuck with you, that's not so bad," she told him.

"Yeah?" he grinned at her. God, he has a great grin.

"Yes.” She said, feeling her mood lift a little. “So, where should we go now?”

“There’s a park just ‘round the corner. We could take a walk, sit on a bench, watch people with their dogs. Oooh, or we could go to the Market. I like a little shop. Although, it might be hard to stay low profile. But I think we could manage.”

“I think the park will do, for now,” Rose said, already liking his gob, suspecting he was trying to distract her as much as he could.

As they walked to the park, Rose picked up conversation again. “Thank you, for helping with my father yesterday. I think you and Martha were the only ones that kept calm. It’s nice to have someone else who doesn’t panic in an emergency. It could have been a lot worse, but the way you spoke helped dad a lot.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad he’s okay.”

“I think we should be calling you The Doctor. Mickey told me you helped him with his arm even before the ambulance arrived. That you trying to prove you’re impressive?” John threw his head back, laughing. It was nice to see him smile that brightly.

She was wearing a pair of sunglasses she found in the car and her hair was tied so she wouldn’t be so recogniseable. Normaly those were the only precautions she took when she went out on a public place, but as John had already witnessed on their first encounter, it wasn’t enough to distract her fans. So she was only mildly surprised when John produced a hat and a scarf and put them on her.

Luckily they were dressed unconspictualy, both with jeans and sneakers. Although she’d have liked to see him in the suit he wore the previous day again, the slim fitting pair of jeans he was wearing wasn’t half bad. It melded to his physique in all the right places. He had a lean build, but was deceptively muscular, and she could make out the strong lines of his chest beneath the thin, snug material of his blue shirt.

Heat rose to her cheeks as Rose scolded herself for checking out the newest member of her staff, who admitedly was more than a little bit fit. _Drop dead gorgeous actually._ She couldn’t help but admire his dark, slightly messy hair and sideburns whenever he looked at her.

It was on one of those occasions that he held out his hand, and replied the question in her eyes. “People will notice your face a lot less if we hold hands. At first glance, they’ll pay attention to the couple, not the individuals. But we don’t need to, if you’re not comfortable with it.”

As he wiggled his fingers, a hopeful smile on his face, Rose clasped his hand, entwining their fingers.

Strolling through the more deserted part of the park, there wasn't an awkward moment between them as they talked about everything and nothing all at once. She told him about the plot of the movie she would be starring on, a sci-fi about an alien from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius, whose ship landed on the Tames. He listened, really listened, and reacted when he was supposed to and asked questions and yes, he also wondered about the universe and no, he wouldn’t just stand by when she said she’d never seen the stars, he ought to fix that. He rambled a bit and she found it adorable.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked during a lull in the conversation.

"No," she said quickly. "I want…" she tried to come up with something to say, but the smell of chips distracted her. It had been a long time since her last meal. "Can you smell chips?" she asked, looking around.

John stared at her for a second, then laughed. "Yeah!" he agreed.

"I want chips," she said fervently.

"Me too," he said, still smiling. “Only problem is I left my jacket in you garage. With my wallet.”

"What sort of date are you?” she said, grabbing his hand. “Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me.”


End file.
